XVIII. EQUUS.
Hunc Aratus et alii complures Pegasum, Neptuni et Medusae Gorgonis filium dixerunt; qui in Helicone Boeotiae monte ungula feriens saxum, fontem aperuit, qui ex eius nomine Hippocrene est appellatus.
XVIII. The Horse
Aratus and very many others have said that this is Pegasus, son of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa; who, striking a rock with his hoof on Mount Helicon in Boeotia, opened a spring, which from his name was called Hippocrene.
alii dicunt, quo tempore Bellerophontes ad Proetum Abantis filium, Argiuorum regem, deuenerit, Antiam regis uxorem hospitis amore inductam, petisse ab eo, uti sibi copiam faceret, promittens ei coniugis regnum. quod cum inpetrare non potuisset, uerita, ne se ad regem criminaretur, occupat: eum sibi uim adferre uoluisse Proeto dicit. qui quod eum dilexerat, noluit ipse supplicium sumere, sed quod ei Pegasum equum esse sciebat, mittit eum ad Iobatem, Antiae patrem, quam alii Sthenoboeam dixerunt, ut ille filiae pudicitiam defendens, Bellerophontem obiceret Chimaerae, quae eo tempore Lyciorum agros flamma uastabat. unde uictor effugiens, post fontis inuentionem cum ad caelum contenderet euolare, neque longe iam abesset, despiciens ad terram, timore permotus decidit ibique perisse dicitur. equus autem subuolasse et inter sidera ab Ioue constitutus existimatur. alii non criminatum ab Antia, sed ne saepius audiret quod nollet, aut precibus eius moueretur, profugisse Argis dixerunt.
Others say that at the time when Bellerophon came to Proetus, son of Abas, king of the Argives, Antia, the king's wife, drawn by love for her guest, asked of him that he should give her his favour, promising him her husband's kingdom. When she could not obtain this, fearing that he would accuse her to the king, she forestalls him: she tells Proetus that he had wished to do violence to her. He, because he had been fond of him, did not wish to inflict punishment himself, but because he knew that Bellerophon had the horse Pegasus, he sends him to Iobates, Antia's father (whom others have called Stheneboea), so that he, defending his daughter's chastity, might expose Bellerophon to the Chimaera, which at that time was ravaging the fields of the Lycians with flame. Escaping from there victorious, after the discovery of the spring [?], when he was striving to fly up to heaven and was already not far off, looking down at the earth, struck with fear, he fell, and is said to have perished there. The horse, however, flew up, and is thought to have been set among the stars by Zeus. Others have said that he fled from Argos not because he was accused by Antia, but so as not to hear too often what he did not wish to hear, nor be moved by her entreaties.
Euripides autem in Melanippa Melanippen, Chironis Centauri filiam, Thetin antea appellatam dicit. quae cum aleretur in monte Pelio, et studium in uenando maximum haberet, quodam tempore ab Aeolo Hellenis filio Iouis nepote persuasam concepisse; cumque iam partus adpropinquaret, profugisse in siluam, ne patri, cum uirginem speraret, nepotem procreasse uideretur. itaque cum parens eam persequeretur, dicitur petisse a deorum potestate, ne pariens a patre conspiceretur. quae deorum uoluntate postquam peperit, in equam conuersa, inter astra est constituta. nonnulli eam uatem dixerunt fuisse; sed quod deorum consilia hominibus sit enuntiare solita, in equam esse conuersam. Callimachus autem ait, quod desierit uenari et colere Dianam, in quam supra diximus speciem, eam Dianam conuertisse. haec dicitur etiam hac re non esse in conspectu Centauri, quem Chirona esse nonnulli dixerunt, et etiam dimidiam apparere, quod noluerit sciri se feminam esse.
Euripides, however, in the Melanippe, says that Melanippe, daughter of the Centaur Chiron, was formerly called Thetis [?]. While she was being brought up on Mount Pelion and had the greatest zeal for hunting, at some time she was persuaded by Aeolus, son of Hellen and grandson of Zeus, and conceived; and when her delivery was already drawing near, she fled into the forest, so that she should not seem to her father, who expected a virgin, to have borne a grandson. And so when her father was pursuing her, she is said to have asked the power of the gods that she should not be seen by her father as she gave birth. By the gods' will, after she had given birth, she was changed into a mare and set among the stars. Some said that she was a prophetess; but because she was accustomed to declare the gods' counsels to men, she was changed into a mare. Callimachus, however, says that because she ceased to hunt and to honour Artemis, Artemis changed her into the shape we mentioned above. For this reason too this one is said not to be in sight of the Centaur, whom some have said is Chiron, and to appear only in half, because she did not wish it to be known that she was a woman.
XIX. DELTOTON.
Hoc sidus quod ut littera est graeca in triangulo posita, itaque appellatur. quod Mercurius supra caput Arietis statuisse existimatur ideo, ut obscuritas Arietis huius splendore, quo loco esset, significaretur, et Iouis nomine graece Διός primam litteram deformaret. nonnulli Aegypti positionem; alii, qua Nilus terminaret Aethiopiam et Aegyptum dixerunt. alii Siciliam figuratam putauerunt; alii, quod orbem terrarum superiores trifariam diuiserunt, tres angulos esse constitutos dixerunt.
XIX. Deltoton (the Triangle)
This constellation, because it is like a Greek letter placed in a triangle, is so called. Hermes is thought to have set it above the head of the Ram so that the obscurity of the Ram might be signalled by this star's brilliance, showing where it was, and so as to shape the first letter of Zeus's name in Greek, Διός. Some said that it is the position of Egypt; others, the place where the Nile ends Ethiopia and Egypt; others thought that Sicily was figured; others, because the ancients divided the world into three parts, said that its three angles were set accordingly.
XX. ARIES.
Hic existimatur esse, qui Phrixum et Hellen transtulisse dictus est per Hellespontum. quem Hesiodus et Pherecydes ait habuisse auream pellem; de qua alibi plura dicemus. sed Hellen decidisse in Hellespontum, et a Neptuno conpressam Pacona procreasse conplures, nonnulli Edonum dixerunt. praeterea Phrixum incolumem ad Aeetam peruenisse, arietem Ioui inmolasse, pellem in templo fixisse et arietis ipsius effigiem ab Nube inter sidera constitutam, habere tempus anni, quo frumentum seritur; quod id Ino tostum seuerit ante, quae maxime fugae fuit causa. Eratosthenes ait arietem ipsum sibi pellem auream detraxisse et Phrixo memoriae causa dedisse, ipsum ad sidera peruenisse, quare, ut supra diximus, obscurius uideatur. hunc autem nonnulli dixerunt in oppido Orchomeno, quod est in Boeotia, natum; alii in Salonum Thessaliae finibus procreatum.
XX. The Ram
This is thought to be the one said to have carried Phrixus and Helle across the Hellespont. Hesiod and Pherecydes say that it had a golden fleece; about which we shall say more elsewhere. But Helle fell into the Hellespont, and, ravished by Poseidon, bore (very many say) Paeon, some say Edonus. Moreover Phrixus arrived unharmed at the court of Aeetes, sacrificed the ram to Zeus, fixed the fleece in the temple, and the likeness of the ram itself was set among the stars by Nubes (Nephele); it has the time of year at which grain is sown; because Ino had earlier sown the grain parched, which was chiefly the cause of the flight. Eratosthenes says that the ram itself took off its golden fleece and gave it to Phrixus for memory, and itself reached the stars, so that, as we said above, it appears rather faint. Some have said that this one was born in the town of Orchomenus, which is in Boeotia; others, that it was produced in the territory of Salonum in Thessaly [?].
alii dicunt Crethea et Athamantem cum aliis conpluribus Aeoli filios fuisse; nonnulli etiam Athamantis filium Salmonea esse Aeoli nepotem dixerunt Crethea autem habuisse Demodicen uxorem, quam alii Biadicen dixerunt. hanc autem Phrixi Athamantis filii corpore inductam, in amorem incidisse, neque ab eo, ut sibi copiam faceret, inpetrare potuisse. itaque necessario coactam, criminari eum ad Crethea coepisse, quod diceret ab eo uim sibi pene allatam, et horum similia mulierum consuetudine dixisse. quo facto Crethea ut uxoris adamantem et regem decebat, permotum, Athamanti ut de eo supplicium sumeret persuasisse. Nubem autem interuenisse, et ereptum Phrixum et Hellen eius sororem in ariete inposuisse et per Hellespontum quam longissime possent profugere iussisse. Hellen decidisse et ibi debitum naturae reddidisse, et ex eius nomine Hellespontum appellatum. Phrixum Colchos peruenisse et, ut ante diximus, arietis interfecti pellem in templo fixisse. ipsum autem a Mercurio ad Athamantem esse reductum, qui patri satisfecerit, eum innocentia confisum profugisse.
Others say that Cretheus and Athamas, with very many others, were sons of Aeolus; some also said that Athamas's son was Salmoneus, grandson of Aeolus. Cretheus, however, had a wife Demodice, whom others called Biadice. She, drawn by the body of Phrixus, son of Athamas, fell in love, and could not obtain from him that he give her his favour. And so, driven by necessity, she began to accuse him to Cretheus, saying that he had almost done violence to her, and said things like this in the manner of women. At this Cretheus, moved as befitted one who loved his wife, and a king, persuaded Athamas to inflict punishment on him. But Nubes intervened and, snatching Phrixus away, put him and his sister Helle on the ram and told them to flee as far as they could, over the Hellespont. Helle fell and there paid her debt to nature, and from her name the Hellespont was called. Phrixus came to Colchis and, as we said before, fixed the fleece of the slain ram in the temple. He himself, however, is said to have been brought back by Hermes to Athamas, who made satisfaction to his father; [?] trusting in his innocence, he fled.
Hermippus autem dicit, quo tempore Liber Africam oppugnauerit, deuenisse cum exercitu in eum locum, qui propter multitudinem pulueris Ammodes est appellatus. itaque cum in maximum periculum deuenisset, quod iter necessario faciendum esse uidebat, accessit eo, ut aquae maxima penuria esset; quo facto exercitus ad defectionem maximam uenire cogebatur. qui dum quid agerent cogitant, aries quidam fortuitu ad milites seorsum errans peruenit; quos cum uidisset, fuga praesidium sibi parauit. milites autem, qui eum fuerant conspicati, etsi puluere et aestu pressi uix progrediebantur, tamen ut praedam ex flamma petentes, arietem sequi coeperunt usque ad eum locum, qui Iouis Hammonis postea templo constituto est appellatus. quo cum peruenissent, arietem quem secuti fuerant, nusquam inuenire potuerunt; sed quod magis his fuerat optandum, aquae magnam copiam in eo loco nacti sunt, recuperatisque corporibus Libero statim nuntiauerunt. qui gauisus ad eos fines exercitum deduxit et Iouis Hammonis templum cum arietinis cornibus simulacro facto constituit. arietem inter sidera figurauit, ita ut cum sol in eius foret signo, omnia nascentia recrearentur, quae ueris tempore fiunt, hac re maxime, quod illius fuga Liberi recreauit exercitum. praeterea XII signorum principem uoluit esse, quod illius optimus exercitui fuerat ductor.
Hermippus says that at the time when Dionysus waged war on Africa, he came with his army to a place which, because of the quantity of dust, was called Ammodes (Sandy). And so, when he had come into the greatest danger, because he saw that the road had necessarily to be travelled, it came about that there was the greatest scarcity of water; whereupon the army was driven to the extreme of despondency. While they were thinking over what to do, a ram, wandering by chance apart, came upon the soldiers; when it saw them, it took flight as its protection. The soldiers who had spotted it, although they could scarcely advance, oppressed by dust and heat, nevertheless, as if seeking plunder out of fire, began to follow the ram as far as the place which was afterwards called, when a temple had been established, that of Zeus Hammon. When they had arrived there, they could nowhere find the ram they had followed; but, what was much more to be desired, they found a great supply of water in that place, and, their bodies restored, they at once announced it to Dionysus. He, delighted, led the army to those regions and established a temple of Zeus Hammon, with a statue made with a ram's horns. He formed the ram among the stars, so that when the sun is in its sign all growing things are renewed, which happens at the time of spring, chiefly because its flight restored Dionysus's army. Further, he wished it to be the first of the twelve signs, because it had been the best leader of his army.
sed de Hammonis simulacro Leon, qui res Aegyptias conscripsit, ait: Cum Liber Aegyptum et reliquos fines regno teneret et omnia primus hominibus ostendisse diceretur, Hammonem quendam ex Africa uenisse et pecoris multitudinem ad Liberum adduxisse, quo facilius et eius gratia uteretur et aliquid primus inuenisse diceretur. itaque pro beneficio ei Liber existimatur agrum dedisse, qui est contra Thebas Aegyptias; et qui simulacra faciunt Hammonis, capite cornuto instituunt, ut homines memoria teneant eum primum pecus ostendisse. qui autem Libero factum uoluerunt adsignare, quod non petierit ab Hammone, sed ultro ad eum sit adductum, simulacra illi cornuta faciunt et arietem memoriae causa inter sidera fixum dicunt.
But about the statue of Hammon, Leon, who wrote on Egyptian affairs, says: When Dionysus held Egypt and the other regions under his rule and was said to have been the first to show everything to men, a certain Hammon came from Africa and brought a great number of livestock to Dionysus, so that he might the more easily enjoy his favour and be said to have discovered something first. And so in return for the kindness Dionysus is thought to have given him the land which lies opposite Egyptian Thebes; and those who make statues of Hammon make them with horned heads, so that men may remember that he first showed livestock. Those, however, who wanted to assign the deed to Dionysus, because he did not ask for it from Hammon but it was brought to him of its own accord, make horned statues for him and say that the ram is fixed among the stars for memory.
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